Le Basketbawl

Just because you can be a good assistant coach does not automatically mean that you can be a good head coach. Some men were born to be Generals while others were only meant to be Majors. Every body has their own role; their own little niche if you catch New York Vinnie’s drift. As long as people stay in that role they are safe; but we are human beings; we have emotions and aspirations. So sometimes we try to stretch the boundaries and reach for the stars. Sometimes we see our dreams come true and other times we fall flat right on our Frickin faces.

It takes a lot of something extra to be a successful head coach in the NBA. Just because you know the game does not mean you will be a great head coach. You can diagram a play 13 Frickin ways until Sunday and that does not translate into being a good head coach. Subsequently you may not be able to draw up a Frickin play to save your Frickin life and still be very effective as a head coach.

Look at Larry Bird when he was coaching the Indiana Pacers; he delegated all the play calling to his assistants. Bird had Rick Carlisle, in charge of the offense, and Dick Harter, who coached the defense.

However there was no doubt about who ran that team.  It was Bird who set the tone Bird was the guy who dealt with the media and when it came right down to it was Bird’s behind that was on the line. In the 1999-2000 season his third as head coach he took the Pacers to  their only appearance in the NBA Finals which they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. And after the series was over he just walked away from coaching; been there done that. They don’t make too many that classy in Sports these days.

Back in July after months of speculation Detroit Pistons President Of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars fired rookie head coach Michael Curry with Dumars stating that he wanted to get a more experienced man being the head honcho during games.

The candidates were said to include Doug Collins and former Dallas Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson. The experienced man he ended up hiring was John Kuester a career assistant-coach. Dumars said he wanted to bring in a veteran; but a veteran is somebody who has done something before. The Pistons hired another rookie head coach.

Just like anybody else who is training on the job Kuester has made his share of mistakes; but the one he made on Friday night was a huge Frickin blunder. The Pistons had lost their third straight game  to  the Oklahoma City Thunder by a score of 109-98.

One of the few bright spots on the team this season has been the play of starting point guard Rodney Stuckey and the guard had a great game as he knocked down 31 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the loss. A reporter asked Kuester in the Post Game press conference according to the “Detroit Free Press.”  The Pistons bench boss replied “He scored points.”

A reporter then asked Kuester for any further thoughts on Stuckey. Kuester said “Rodney has had a wonderful start but we need him to lead. … He’s a very gifted offensive player, but we have to generate things with being shorthanded from everybody, not just Rodney. Everybody has to take ownership. Even if you don’t make the right play, your body language tells you whether you’re ready to react the way that we want you to and that’s all I’m asking.”

The statement you just read was the biggest problem with on the job training as an NBA coach. Kuester was frustrated; his team had just lost its third straight game. He has probably made similar statements after lots of NBA games when he was an assistant. The difference though is in those he would say those things to other assistants; Friday night he said it to a bunch of reporters.

Kuester apparently got “Sissy-Slapped” after opening his mouth about Stuckey because he addressed the issue with reporters before the team played the Lakers on Sunday. Kuester this time could not say enough positives about his point guard; and he wanted to clarify he has nothing but the highest regard for his starter.

The Detroit head coach said “He has done so many wonderful things for our team this year. He has at times played at an All-Star level. “He has had to handle a lot on his plate with things having not gone this season the way we had hoped in certain situations, but Rodney Stuckey has done a wonderful job! And don’t lose sight of how important he is to this team.”

New York Vinnie is sure that you won’t forget as long as you are employed by the Pistons. You must have gotten quite a butt chewing to do that kind of about face in just two days John! As New York Vinnie wrote at the top just because you can be a good assistant coach does not automatically mean that you can be a good head coach.